IQNA

TEHRAN (IQNA) – Ahmad Shauqi, the son of academic and social activist Kassim Ahmad who died Tuesday, expressed regret that his father was not able to complete the translation of the Quran into Malay.

"He had, in fact, completed translating one third of the Quran. He felt
he had to do it because the current translations used flowery language.

"He wanted to translate it into language that is easier for the public
to understand,” he told reporters at his father’s home here.

Ahmad Shauqi, 50, said that in the later stage of his life, his father
was actively writing and his last work was an auto-biography.

However, he said, the auto-biography was still being finalized and would
be published soon.

"All his life, he fought for the people and made sacrifices for the
family. He wrote about it all in his auto-biography.

"He did not leave any last messages to us, his children, except that he
wanted us all to return to the Quran,” Ahmad Shauqi said.

Kassim died at the Kulim Hospital at 10 am today of lung-related
problems after a 36-hour coma. He was 84. His wife, Sharifah Fauziah Syed
Yusuff, and two of his three children were with him when he breathed his last.